RF Wireless Power: An Enabling Technology
Presented to WiPoT
September 9, 2014
Charles Greene, Ph.D.
Chief Technical Officer
EDN
2010
Hot 100Emerging
Technology

P2100
Powerharvester®

TX91501
Powercaster®

P2110
Powerharvester®

P2110
Powerharvester®

Agenda Introduction to Powercast Corporation
 Overview of RF Wireless Power Powercast Products
 Performance Data Applications of RF Wireless Power Specific Examples of Implementations
2

Powercast Overview
RF Wireless Powercompany founded in 2003

• Privately held company• Located in Pittsburgh, PA, USA

Enabling products that eliminate Batteries& Battery Maintenance Products address existing and future markets• RF wireless power harvesting ICs and modules• RF wireless power transmittersFull suite of leading-edge, FCC approved products
Products sold by numerous distributors (TED)
Significant opportunities for OEM integration of wireless technology
16 U.S. patents issued and 10 U.S. patent applications (worldwide filings)

3

Introduction to RF Wireless Power

4

RF Energy is Everywhere

5

RF Power Sources
Intentional

AnticipatedUnknown?

6

Average Power Consumption

Power Profiles and Target Devices

Hours

Days

WeeksMonths

Battery Run Time7Years

RF Wireless Power OverviewIntentionally broadcast Radio • Inches to over 100 feet depending on application
Frequency (RF) provides• Power from microwatts (µW) up to milliwatts (mW)wireless power over distanceControllable by Design Power Level
 Frequency
 Transmit Antenna Gain
 Receive Antenna Gain
 Number of Transmitters
 Distance Device Duty Cycle
 System Cost8

Market Segment Value Propositions
 Industrial – Minimizes Operating Costs
 Eliminates cost to hard wire or replace batteries – e.g. wireless sensors
 Eliminates service downtime caused by depleted batteries Reduces battery handling and disposal OEMs – Improved Product Design Product differentiation – eliminate wires, cables, connectors
 Sealed devices – less expensive enclosures and manufacturing, waterproof
 Reliability – improved durability, reduced product failures, eliminate ESD

 Consumers – Convenience and Usability
 Placement flexibility – no charging mats or charging stations
 Untethered embedded power – eliminate wires, cables, connectors
 Transparent charging – no user action required9

Powercast Products10

Full Suite of RF Wireless Power Solutions

Powerharvester®
Receivers

Powercaster®
Transmitters

Evaluation
BoardsCustomEngineering

Development Kits11Powerharvester® Chipset
PCC110 – RF to DC Converter

PCC210 – Boost Converter

High conversion efficiency, up to 75%
Converts low-level RF signals enabling longrange applications
RF operating range: -18dBm to +20dBm
Frequency range: 10MHz to 6GHz
Harvests from all modulation types
Interoperable with numerous RF sources:
Powercast TX91501 transmitter, RFID
readers, Mobile Phones, Wi-Fi routers, etc.
SC-70 package

High efficiency, up to 95%
Operation down to 0.4V input
Capable of 5.5V @ 50mA output
Resistor settable output voltage
SOT23-6 package

Reference Designs Available (Others available on request):
P1110 915MHz high-efficiency continuous powering and recharging
P2110 915MHz long-range pulsed powering and pulsed recharging
P2111 P2110 with enhanced sensitivity
P2120 2.45GHz long-range pulsed powering and pulsed recharging
12

Powerharvester® Modules
P1110

 Modules allow easy deployment – RF in DC out
 Provide high RF to DC conversion efficiency
 Power microcontrollers, sensors, electronics
P2110

 Designed for standard 50Ω antennas
 Support multiple frequency bands: 840-960MHz
 Based on Powercast PCC110 & PCC210 ICs
P1110 Architecture

P2110 ArchitectureContinuous Power Output• RF range: -5.0dBm to 20dBm• Output voltage: 1.8V to 4.2V
(configurable)• Range of 3 meters or more

Pulsed Power Output• RF range: -12dBm to 15dBm• Output voltage: 2V to 5.5V
(configurable and regulated)• Range of 10 meters or more

13

TX91501 Powercaster ® Transmitter6.25” width 915 MHz center frequency
 FCC and IC certified
 RoHS compliant
 DSSS modulation (power)

 ASK modulation (data) 1W or 3W EIRP

6.75”
height TX91501-1W-ID
 TX91501-3W-ID

 Integrated antenna with 60°
beam pattern Data broadcast (factory-set) Plug-and-play installation

1.63” depth
Power Jacks (2) – 5V

Status Indicator LED

Back – for tabletop placement
Bottom – for wall mounting

Green – Transmitting
Red – Fault Condition14

 Powers virtually unlimited
number of Powerharvesters

Lifetime Power® Development Kit
P2110-EVAL-01
 Complete system for battery-free wireless applications Jointly developed with Microchip Technology
 Designed for wireless sensing applications using MiWi protocol• RF Transmitter (TX91501-3W-ID)• Two P2110 Evaluation Boards (P2110-EVB)• Two 6dBi Directional Antennas (PA-915-01)• Two 2.5dBi Omni-directional Antennas (DA-915-01)• Two Wireless Sensor Boards (WSN-EVAL-01) – Temperature, Humidity, Light Level• Microchip 16-bit XLP Development Board• Microchip MRF24J40 PICtail/PICtail Plus daughter card
• Microchip PICkit 3 programmer/debugger

15

Performance Data16

Powercast Technology Advantages80

 High efficiency over a broad range: No Maximum Power Point Tracking(MPPT) required Over 850 MHz operating bandwidth

403020

Example of other solutions
10-5051020

P2110 Harvester Efficiency-3dBm (500uW) Input, 1V Load

1.2 1.2
1.0 1
0.8 0.8
0.6 0.6
0.4 0.4
0.2 0.2
00500

500

700

700

900

900

1100

1100
Frequency (MHz)Frequency (MHz)

1715

Input Power (dBm)

Normalized Efficiency

 Better performance More power Simplified design-in500 Essential for ambient energy harvesting Easy scalability for geographic regions
using different frequencies

 Result …

60

Normalized Efficiency

 Load resistance Input power Recharging current

RF to DC Conversion Efficiency
(%)

70

1300

1300

1500

1500

1700

1700

915MHz Link Budget Analysis
Parameter

Gain/Loss

Transmitted Power (From amplifier) - PT

Total

27dBm (0.5W)

Transmitter Antenna Gain - GT

8.34dBiEIRP (PTGT)

35.34dBm
3.4W

Path Loss (Distance dependent) – λ2/(4πR)21m-31.68dB

5m-45.65dB

10m-51.68dB

12m-53.25dB

Receiver Antenna Gain - GR6dBi

Received Power - PR
RF to DC Converter-11.91dBm-5.2dB (30%)

Usable Power*-17.11dBm
19.45uW*Using the Powercast P2110, this energy is continuously stored in a capacitor and provided to the load intermittently. The energy is stored at approximately
1V and is boosted to a user selectable voltage (2 to 5.5V) at 85% efficiency. The output current can be up to 50mA for a duration set by the capacitor value.

18

Available Power at 915MHz
Available Power Before Conversion (Calculated)

uW
350
300
2502003W EIRP Transmitter915MHz

150

6 dBi ReceiverAntenna

100

Smallerantenna

500051015Distance (meters)
19202530

RF-to-DC Conversion Efficiency (%)

Powerharvester® Performance Comparison
80P1110 - 915MHz, 3V

7060

P2110 - 915MHz, 1.05V

Power504030

Custom Designs
Harvesting sensitivities:-25dBm with battery-18dBm passive

2010Distance

0-12 -10 -8-6-4-202468 10Input Power (dBm)
20

1214161820

Harvested Power at 915MHz

Harvested Power (mW)

1P1110 - 915MHz, 3V

0.8
0.6
0.40.2

P2110 - 915MHz, 1.05V

0-12-11-10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3
Input Power (dBm)
1-2-1012

Applications of RF Wireless Power2

Application: Wireless Power Network for Sensors
 Powercast enables a complete wireless infrastructure for micropower and data

S

Network

Access Point (ZigBee, WiFi, etc)
PowerPower Transmitter
Powercast-enabled Wireless Sensor
Temperature / Humidity / Motion / Light / etc

3Application: Bulk Trickle Charging

 Freedom of placement
 Eliminate wires and connectors
 Automatic/transparent charging

 Multiple battery types/chemistry4Application: Desktop Charging Hot Spot
Suitable for low-usage items or longer charge times (+6 hours)
Computer peripherals

Hearing AidsHeadsets

Body-Worn
Devices

Other Devices
Tracking Devices
Consumer-oriented transmitter
Low-transmit power, Low-cost, USB powered5

Application: High-Function RFID Tags
UHF RFID Reader

Up to 12 meters• Identification• Sensing•Temperature•Vibration•Heart Rate•Stress/Strain•Shock• Smart Packaging•Bi-Stable Display•Indications – LED, Audible• Security•Biometrics and Encryption

Standard
RFID ChipCommsHigh Function
DevicePowercastHarvester

PowerPowercast provides >10X the power vs. traditional RFID

High-Function Tag

6

RFID Tag Power Requirements• Industrial Sensing• Maintenance Tracking• Manufacturing Operations

PowerEnabled byPowercastSensors
Computation
Screen Update• Retail• Supply Chain• MedicalMemory Access
ID readID
Tag

MemoryTag

7High-Function
Tag

Demonstrations – EPC C1G2 RFID Tags
Temperature & Indication

Visual Bi-Stable Display

 Range: 12 meters Read/Write capable Temp Range: -40 to 85C
 ±1% Accuracy
 LED Indications

 Range: 2-4 meters Read/Write capable Image sent from Reader
 Image retention without powerTemp update (Green)
Find-tag indication (Red)8

RF Wireless Power Markets

Identification

Electronic Labeling

Automation Sensors

Cold Chain

Access Control

Industrial Monitoring

Structural Monitoring

Defense9RF-Power Market Growth As the cost and size of RF-power
solutions decrease, opportunities toaddress additional high-volume
markets will increase significantly

Smart Cards

Novelty Lighting

Consumer Electronics
Battery Packs

AutomationSensors

GPS/RTLS
Tracking
Tags

MedicalDevices

SupplyChain

10Specific Examples of Implementations

11

Example: Wireless Sensor Battery Recharging
Pittsburgh Zoo Penguin Exhibit:
Sensitive environment, high value assets, very limited access
Problem:Battery replacement every 3-4 months in wireless sensor nodes
Solution:
Powercast RF wireless power system to provide continuous battery
charging and perpetual battery life

Battery compartment retrofittedwith Powercast RF Harvester
12

www.sensitrol.com

Example: Passive UHF RFID Sensing Used in shipping and warehouse applications
 Monitor temperature inside shipments

 Passive Temperature -40 to 85C

 Monitor shock and tilt of packages or totes
 ±3 g Waterproof and flexible packaging
 Customizable graphics
 Packaged in Teslin®
 Durable synthetic paper that offers easy, highquality printability, strong adhesion, andthermal/chemical durability
 Acts like miniature bubble wrap, protecting theembedded RFID inlay and other electronics
 Independent laboratory studies show lasts two tothree times longer than PVC cards

13

 Passive Accelerationwww.vanguardid.com

Example: Decorative Lighting Wireless Christmas Tree Eliminates interconnecting wires
 Two RF transmitters located inside the tree A passive harvester directly drives eachLED, 100 per tree
 Numerous lighting effects can be achieved
via patented modulation techniques Decorative lighting technology
being included in other products
 Stickers
 Labels Illuminated product packaging
14

www.frontgate.com

Example: Industrial Oven Temperature Monitoring Wyze Temp®HT High Temp Battery-less Probe Temperature sensing without batteries! (Sensors are powered up by the reader RF energy)
 Numerous temperature probes can be read simultaneously Perfect for conveyor ovens and rotisseries where tethered probes cannot be used
 Bakery goods and other foods that go through cooking and cooling zones benefit by realtime temperature tracking
 Product benefits include: continuous cooking operation, no interruption of cook process tomeasure product temperature, long-term product reliability, improved safety for employees

15

http://www.matrixpd.com/

Powercast Resources Documentation
 http://www.powercastco.com/documentation/

 Wireless power calculator (Excel)
 http://www.powercastco.com/power-calculator/

 Videos and Presentations
 http://www.youtube.com/powercastco http://www.slideshare.net/powercast

Emerging
Technology

P2100
Powerharvester®

TX91501
Powercaster®
16

P2110
Powerharvester®

P2110
Powerharvester®

566 Alpha Drive
Pittsburgh, PA 15238 USA
www.powercastco.com

Thank YouCharles Greene, Ph.D.
Chief Technical Officer+1.412.923.4770
cgreene@powercastco.com